Struggling with Keyframer FX

[Soom]

Well, I am using the Keyframer FX quite a lot for moving cycles around, but I have run into a problem, which I cannot manage to solve: since there is no way to set separate paths for X, Y or Z positions, there is no way to adjust those values smoothness separately. Which means I cannot set separate keyframes or use separate progress-profiles for them.
So - I have a run in perspective in 3/4, approaching the camera slowly. But the running path is not a straight line - it has a curve with several position changes (it's up hill and down-hill and up again). X and Y is not a big deal, but Z-depth is a mess - it's just impossible to control if I try to set more position points. And it's totally impossible to use splines on path, cause then the z-depth becomes just wrong. Normally and logically I should be able to control the z-depth and the position separately, but I can't. Any suggestions?

P.S. I think it was already spoken about, but I can't the post...

[slowtiger]

I was never satisfied with any program's handling of Z depth for walks. I rely on some help lines in perspective, to which I roughly let the software size my walk, then I do all the fine cleanup by hand.

[Soom]

I was never satisfied with any program's handling of Z depth for walks. I rely on some help lines in perspective, to which I roughly let the software size my walk, then I do all the fine cleanup by hand.

Well, that's what I do, but I need to accomplish a rough of 3 four-legged characters running along 125 frames and submit it as quick as possible for approval, only later clean up and adjust - so I just try to find the best solution without the need to get into this crazy work of readjusting everything...

[slowtiger]

A solution with at least gives a faster result is what I do in AS, but must be possible in TVP as well.

I have a character walk in perspective. I set the character layer's pivot point to the vanishing point. Now I apply a scaling only on Z axis, and no transformation whatsoever on X and Y. I only have to adjust one dimension's keys. Works like a charm.

[ZigOtto]

my way would go to stack 3 KeyFramer_FXs, the first one for the Z depth (size), the second one for the X position, the third one for Y,
so each value could be set independently, I mean after setting the start and the end positions (= 2 keys), you can set the X, Y and Z progession separately by tweaking their own speed profiles, (no adding "inbetween" new keys, just modifying the speed curves),
after previewing some "trial & error" tests , you should be quickly able to find the right "combination" to fit your wish or so, the last thing to do is to "Select Frames from Keys" + "FX-Stack : Apply".

[Soom]

A solution with at least gives a faster result is what I do in AS, but must be possible in TVP as well.
I have a character walk in perspective. I set the character layer's pivot point to the vanishing point. Now I apply a scaling only on Z axis, and no transformation whatsoever on X and Y. I only have to adjust one dimension's keys. Works like a charm.

Yes - this helps, but not solves my problem. this only helps so position correctly the perspective position, but not to control different motion paths for different parameters. In my scene the path is not straight on all directions, but thanks for the tip.

my way would go to stack 3 KeyFramer_FXs, the first one for the Z depth (size), the second one for the X position, the third one for Y,
so each value could be set independently, I mean after setting the start and the end positions (= 2 keys), you can set the X, Y and Z progession separately by tweaking their own speed profiles, (no adding "inbetween" new keys, just modifying the speed curves),
after previewing some "trial & error" tests , you should be quickly able to find the right "combination" to fit your wish or so, the last thing to do is to "Select Frames from Keys" + "FX-Stack : Apply".

Yes - this is what I am doing more or less right now. The problem here is, that there is no way to have a good control of the path, cause it's not representing the real path I must follow, and even more - some parameters become a straight line so there is no way to control smoothness, therefore I need to use the Progress profile, which is very limited and clunky by itself (I know that TVP guys are working on it cause it was asked to be improved a few times already).
Still this is the ultimate way I found to deal with this kind of problem - thankfully there are not many like these in the film

[slowtiger]

In AS there's a function "Follow Path" which forces one object to follow a predefined path. This is useful for a cutout car to drive a hilly scene. Maybe a feature request for TVP?

[Soom]

In AS there's a function "Follow Path" which forces one object to follow a predefined path. This is useful for a cutout car to drive a hilly scene. Maybe a feature request for TVP?

Yeah - well, this is also available in Flash. I think it's not what TVPaint wants to follow - after all, this is a 2D classical animation program resembling paper animation process. Although I would be glad to have more of this "object oriented" functionality, like Flash has with Symbols. The main reason is that we often deal with somewhat limited animation that uses lot's of cut-out like shapes, and sometimes I just wish I could have something like a Symbol in Flash or this parent peg in Toon Boom. But well - I understand it's not TVPaint's line.